Ecohydrology

Ecohydrology deals with the interacts between ecological and hydrological processes which may happen in the water body or ecosystem. The scale of ecohydrology studies may up to water regime. This is an interdisciplinary science which may cross hydrology, ecology, environmental science and management. From studying the fundamentals of ecohydrology process, ecosystem management suggestions can be drawn for decision-makers. Water is our most precious natural resource. The availability and quality of fresh water not only impact human health and wellbeing, but also the functioning of essential ecosystems, including rivers, wetlands, lakes and coastal ecosystems. Most available fresh water is present as groundwater. Exchanges between groundwater and surface water occur throughout the landscape and support a plethora of key ecosystem services. This multidisciplinary text in ecohydrology is dedicated to advancing the understanding of the fluxes and transformations of nutrient elements and metals at the groundwater-surface water interface, and assessing their consequences for the health and functioning of aquatic ecosystems. This book covers the freshwater ecosystem management, the assessment of water ecosystem services, the assessment of hydrological impacts on ecosystems, the studies on peatland, the studies of relationship between ecohydrology science and climate change and the management and assessment of pollutants. The models of water ecosystem resilient are included as well. Ecohydrology aims to advance ecohydrology as the study of the interplay between ecological and hydrological processes from molecular to river basin scales, and to promote its implementation as an integrative management tool to harmonize societal needs with biosphere potential. An essential component of ecohydrology is a rigorous understanding of hydrobiology, from ecosystem properties, dynamics and functions to modelling of abiotic and biotic interactions in relation to their hydrological determinants at the basin scale. Ecohydrology is an interdisciplinary area that draws on both ecology and hydrology, and is related to watershed management. It places particular emphasis on interactions and associated feedbacks in both space and time between ecological systems and the hydrological cycle. Ecohydrology is especially important in arid and semiarid systems where the feedbacks between ecology and hydrology can be particularly tight. Research in ecolohydrology emphasizes considering “green” water associated with evapotranspiration as well as “blue” water such as streamflow and groundwater considered more traditionally in hydrology and watershed management. The information contained in this book will be of valuable for students, researchers as well as practitioners.